


A Friend In Need

by baranduin



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-12
Updated: 2010-06-12
Packaged: 2017-10-10 02:21:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/94176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baranduin/pseuds/baranduin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hurt/comfort fic. This takes place during 2005 Worlds, when Evgeni had to withdraw from the competition after his short program due to groin and back injuries. Evgeni is hurt; Johnny  comforts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Friend In Need

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Hanarobi for beta reading for me!

Evgeni looked small and surprisingly young when Johnny went into his hotel room, unsure of whether he really should despite Mishin's urgings.

"Yes, yes, go in, go in. Talk with him. It will do him good."

But Johnny wasn't so sure. Evgeni's eyes were dull, his hair was limp; everything about him was just damped down and low, all the usual fire extinguished.

"No, don't get up," Johnny said when Evgeni started to sit up, grimacing in pain. Whatever the doctors were giving him for it, it either wasn't enough or was wearing off.

Johnny sat on the edge of Evgeni's bed (the chair was covered in cast-off clothing and skate guards). He thought about taking Evgeni's hand, but that seemed a bit much; it wasn't as if he was dying even though he was giving a pretty good imitation of being half dead.

"Feeling pretty bad, huh?" _Oh, great, Johnny, good job. State the obvious._

Evgeni nodded. "Yeah. Not so good."

In that case Evgeni really must be dying, considering how stoic he always was.

"How did it finish? The competition? They don't tell me anything, just say to rest, rest, rest until I want to scream."

Johnny blew out a breath. "Let's see."

Evgeni's eyes brightened marginally, got a little of that pale blue fire back in them. "_Tell_ me. I want to know. Those _people_ …"

Johnny smiled at Evgeni referring to those closest to him as "those people" though he knew it was probably just the Russlish and the drugs talking.

"… they don't tell me anything. Don't upset yourself, they say. But it doesn't help. I am not a child though they make like I am. And I am upset already."

"Then I can't believe they let me in here …"

Johnny laughed and Evgeni joined him for a moment, then stopped with a groan. "Please, Johnnik … don't make me laugh."

"Sorry," Johnny said and reached out to touch Evgeni lightly on the shoulder. Evgeni smiled at him though it was a little watery and wan. "Well, let's see. Stepháne won, though you knew that. Right?"

Evgeni nodded. "Did he quad?

Johnny pursed his lips and tried to look innocent. "I don't remember."

Evgeni glared at him and tightened his lips. "And silver and bronze?"

"Buttle and Lysacek."

"Lysacek?"

Johnny sighed. "Yes. Then me in fourth."

"Oh." Evgeni reached out and touched Johnny's hand. "Sorry."

"Yeah, well."

They sat on together in silence now that the necessaries were complete. _What now. After all, you're here for your entertainment value. So be entertaining._ He looked around the room while he was casting about for something to talk about, which was a little odd since he and Evgeni usually found it easy to natter on about things not figure skating-related. He was just considering making obscene shadow puppets against the wall when he finally took in what he was looking at.

The room was a total mess. Trashed. Clothes everywhere, papers and shoes and skating gear, everything scattered higgledy piggledy. There were crumpled tissues on the bedside table, dirty glasses and dishes. _What a mess. Ugh. No wonder he feels so sick._ And Evgeni looked just as messy, with his hair dirty, pajama top stained with something Johnny didn't _even_ want to think about much less look at, and bedclothes all twisted and untucked. Wrinkled sheets. Johnny _hated_ wrinkled sheets.

Johnny stood up. "Zhenya, this is no good."

"What? You're going already?" Evgeni's voice sounded so sad. "Thank you for coming," he said, remembering his manners, his voice flat.

Johnny said, "Oh, _hell_, no. I'm not going anywhere. Not until I get this mess cleaned up."

"What?"

"This room is a mess! What the … Can't someone …"

Evgeni looked around and flushed a little. "Yeah, is bad, isn't it? Alexei Nikolaevich doesn't like the maid to come in … she might have camera or something … Mama would but she's not here."

"Well, then, give me a feather duster and call me Mama."

Johnny set to with a vengeance. He muttered under his breath as he folded clothes and put them away, threw out tissues, washed and dried the glasses so Evgeni would have something clean to drink out of. He even went into the bathroom and cleaned it up though he had to pick up some very disreputable looking towels with two fingers to fling in a soggy pile for Housekeeping to take away. He used a fairly clean washcloth to wipe and polish the surfaces of the bedside table and chest of drawers, and if he couldn't make them shine without polish, at least they looked clean when he was finished. He deeply regretted the lack of a vacuum cleaner.

"There!" he said with satisfaction when he was finished, all told a good hour's hard work.

Evgeni had dozed while Johnny had cleaned. Every time Johnny took a look, that's what it looked like. And frankly he didn't look so good. He looked a little green actually, and just so limp.

Johnny didn't want to wake up Evgeni but he seriously wanted to get at that bed. Clean sheets first so he called Housekeeping to bring them and clean towels as well. He dumped the pile of dirty towels in the hands of the maid and accepted a clean load, being careful to keep the door angled open just enough to make the exchange. The maid probably wasn't concealing any hidden camera but best not to take chances. Stranger things had happened, and enough bad things had been said about Evgeni's withdrawal from the competition that he didn't want to add to it if possible.

He was just about to wake Evgeni and ask him to sit in the chair while he changed the sheets when the door rattled open, followed by a grim procession of Mishin, the other handlers and what must have been the doctor. He hoped Mishin wouldn't ask him to leave because by this point he was feeling very protective of his friend. _I always knew I'd make a good nurse. All I need is one of those little hats._

Mishin didn't say anything to him, just sort of elbowed him aside with a nod. Johnny stood near the bathroom door and watched them wake Evgeni, pull down the sheets and take a look at him. Evgeni looked vulnerable and younger than ever, blinking at them all in turn and mumbling responses to questions fired at him. No one seemed very pleased and Evgeni's face turned gray when the doctor probed at his groin though he didn't make a sound. In the end the doctor gave Evgeni a shot, Mishin patted his shoulder, and that was it.

As they all turned to leave, Mishin finally spoke to Johnny. "Perhaps it is time to leave and let him sleep?"

Johnny nodded and said, "In a few minutes." _As if!_

With that, they all swept out of the room, talking too rapidly for Johnny to follow.

Evgeni leaned back against the pillows and sighed, his face tight with pain.

"Pain shot?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you think you can get up and sit in the chair for a few minutes?"

Evgeni looked horrified. "Why?"

"I want to change the sheets."

"Why?" He tugged at the sheets and blankets, trying to straighten them out a little and failing miserably. "Okay."

"Come on. I'll help you up."

It took longer than Johnny thought it would to get him up and over to the chair. He ended up slinging Evgeni's arm around his neck and pulling him up. "Lean on me," he murmured and then had to brace himself because Evgeni really did slump down on him, hard. They walked slowly the few steps to the chair, Evgeni limping heavily, and then Johnny lowered him down. Once settled, Evgeni sat with his eyes closed and his chest heaving.

"The shot helping yet?"

"Little bit."

"Okay, just sit. I'll be quick … though …" He sniffed at Evgeni.

Evgeni opened his eyes at the sound and flushed. He scratched at his pajama top; there was something crusted on them in a brown stain that Johnny really didn't want to think about in detail. "I throw-ed up before … borfed?"

Johnny tried to suppress a smile and it wasn't hard. Evgeni really did look pathetic. "Barfed … never mind. I'll find clean pajamas."

"Okay. Thank you." He waved his hand in the general direction of his suitcases.

Johnny rooted around for a minute and then pulled out a fresh pair. He brought them back to Evgeni and, since it didn't look like Evgeni was ever going to move again, he unbuttoned the cruddy pajama top and peeled it off, only to discover that what lay beneath was just as bad.

Evgeni looked down at his chest, poked himself a bit, and said, "Oops." He smiled woozily.

"Pain shot working now?"

"Da."

"All right. Hang on," Johnny said and ran to the bathroom to get a clean washcloth. He wet it with warm water and was back at Evgeni's side in a minute. "All right. Let's get you cleaned up," he said and scrubbed vigorously at the crust of vomit. "Good lord, you're a mess, Zhen'ka."

"I know. Sorry."

Once he scrubbed away the dried vomit, Johnny leaned forward and sniffed. _Oof. Those pits._ He went back to the bathroom and lathered up the washcloth and came back and industriously scrubbed away at Evgeni's chest, then, lifting up each arm in turn, attacked the offending armpits, swiping at the scant silky hair. Evgeni just looked up at him the entire time, his eyelids heavy, his mouth sulky and entirely adorable. _Adorable? Oh, crap, where did that come from? This is not the time to, er … do not look down at his crotch, oh lord …_

Johnny manfully resisted the urge and concentrated on finishing wiping away the soap and then putting the clean pajama top on Evgeni.

"Right," he said. "Bottoms?"

"Da," Evgeni said and wriggled out of his pajama bottoms with a groan. Johnny sent a heavenward prayer of frustrated thanks that the top covered Evgeni down to his thighs. Because otherwise …

Johnny knelt and slid the clean pajama bottoms over Evgeni's feet and pulled them up quickly, slipping the waistband up and over Evgeni's bottom and crotch, studiously averting his eyes as he adjusted them around his waist and holding his breath. _Those armpits were bad enough … his crotch must be … _

"There you go, just stay there while I make up the bed."

"I will. Thank you, Johnnik," Evgeni said as Johnny stood up. When Johnny leaned down to pat Evgeni's shoulder, Evgeni wrapped his arms around him in a quick hug, complete with a kiss on the cheek.

_Oh boy, these Russians and their affectionate ways … good thing I'm not one of those repressed Americans … might be it'd be better if I was …_

Johnny snorted at his own thought.

"What are you laughing at?" Evgeni whined. "I can't help it."

"Can't help what?" Johnny asked, looking back fondly at Evgeni, who was now attempting to sit up straight in his chair. "And who says I was laughing at _you_? You really are ridiculous, you know. And don't try to get up."

"Feel better."

"Yes, drugs will do that, Zhenya, this is why it's called pain medication. And if you get up and hurt yourself worse, those people of yours will blame _me_, so you'd just better stay where you are."

_Is he smirking?_

Johnny kept an eagle eye on Evgeni while he efficiently stripped the dirty sheets from the bed and tossed them in a little pile outside the door for Housekeeping to take away. _Huh. Maybe they'll sell them to reporters who'll look for evidence of all kinds of nasty sex. Where has my mind gone?_ He shuddered at the thought and set to making up the bed with the clean sheets, tucking the corners in nice and tight, and smoothing the blankets over them. He stood back and admired his handiwork for a minute.

Evgeni appeared half asleep again when Johnny turned to get him.

"Come on, Zhenech'ka, back to bed," Johnny said softly and leaned down to help him up.

The trip back to the bed went even more slowly, no doubt because Evgeni, now thoroughly drugged up, went all limp and wobbly. He rested his head on Johnny's shoulder and mumbled about doing quads.

"Yes, yes, your quads are very nice, Zhenya."

"Da, my quads are excellent. But I fell." Johnny had to suppress another laugh at the note of bemused wonder in Evgeni's voice.

"Well, everyone falls now and then."

"Not me," Evgeni said in a pathetic little voice.

_Now is not the time to remind him of Salt Lake City. Well, there'll never be a time to remind him of that one. Wouldn't want to see what would happen to someone who'd be stupid enough to actually do it._

Evgeni fell back against the pillows with a sigh as Johnny arranged him on the bed and pulled the sheet and blankets over him.

"Better, isn't it?" Johnny asked and sat on the bed, smoothing and tucking and patting, watching Evgeni's face relax.

"Yes, so nice."

Johnny leaned forward and combed his fingers through Evgeni's tangled hair. He regretted not shampooing it when he had the chance though, really, how he would have managed that, he had no clue. His stomach tightened when Evgeni rested his cheek against Johnny's palm and rubbed back and forth.

"So nice …"

"Sleep now," Johnny said and regretfully withdrew his hand.

Evgeni might have mumbled "thank you" but it might have been "quads now" for all Johnny could really tell. And Evgeni was already asleep, his face smooth.

It was time to go now, but Johnny sat by Evgeni's side a few more minutes. He told himself he was watching just to make sure the pain medication really was working and Evgeni wasn't going to wake and need him again.

His thoughts tumbled around, chaotic.

_You do not think of him that way. _

_Well, not until today._

_He does not think of you that way. He's straight. Remember?_

_So what? And how do you know?_

_Don't sulk._

Johnny sat by Evgeni's side for a few more minutes before he got up and left. He did that thing with his mouth that he did when he wasn't sulking, though it bore a rather uncanny resemblance to sulking to everyone other than Johnny. When he left, he shut the door quietly behind him after staring at Evgeni sleeping peacefully, his thoughts no more reasonable than before.

_Yeah, you better shut that door._

_Not that it's ever going to open._

_Shut up. He needed me today. I was just helping out a friend …_


End file.
